Overhead protection rack



Nov. 25, 1941. R BRANQVIC ETAL 2,263,978

OVERHEAD PROTECTION RACK Filed Nov.- 1e, 1940 A A A v v v v v l ITI/X!) v Bg fied E 65% Gttornegs mnentors Patented Nov. 25, 1941 azsass FEICE OVERHEAD PROTECTION nAcx Roy Branovic, Euclid, Glenn L. Egbert, 'Highland Heights, and Fred E. Lee, South Euclid, Ohio, assignors to General Motors Corporation Dctroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application November 18, 1940, Serial No. 366,114 'A s claims. v(c1. 214-113) AThis invention relates to an industrial safety device for the protection of the operator of a lift truck such' as is commonly employed for handling factory materials. These trucks have a tiltable tower ahead of the drivers seat with a forwardly projecting load carrying elevator which enables crates and containers hauled by the truck to be stacked on top of one another in storage locations. If in the manipulation of the truck the load shifts because of carelesshandling or otherwise the material may fall from the elevator;

.An object of the present invention is to provide a guard to prevent injury to the operator by falling objects.

A further object is to provide a sturdy and inexpensive overhead protector which can'be easily applied to the conventional lift truck and which is supported partly by the tower and connected thereto so as to accommodate tilting adjustment of the tower as well as to follow the tilting movement and thereby alord maximum protection in all positions of the tower.

Further objects and advantages will be apparent upon consideration of the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of an industrial lift truck to which the invention has been applied; Figure 2 is a detail perspective view showing a fragment of the protector and Figure 3 is a small elevational view showing more or less diagrammatically how the structure is employed.

Referring to the drawingthe numeral I indicates the motor driven truck having a driver's seat 2 on its upper side and -immediately behind the steering wheel 3 and other usual controls. In front of the driver is located an upstanding tower assembly 4 pivotally supported on a transversely extending horizontal axis at its lower end on the mounted on the truck I.

front of the truck I so that under control of the Y operator the tower can be tilted forwardly and rearwardly about its pivotal mounting. Slidably carried by thetower is a forwardly projecting elevator or lift platform 5 arranged to carry the In theA tainer against dislodgment from the load -supporting elevator 5. Ii.' containers are to be arranged in tiers and stacked on top of one another referred to, it is proposed according to the present invention to provide a movable guard assembly arranged overhead and which in one embodiment includes a frame or grid having a pair of transversely spaced curved rods or supportingtubes 6.-6 pivotally mounted at their forward ends as at 1 to the upper `portion of the swinging tower and projected' rearwardly and then downwardly to bridge the space occupied by the truck A series of spaced tie bars. such as l, are welded to the rails 6-6 and certain of the tie bars 8 cooperate with transversely spaced bowed rails 9 as well as the rods 6 in providing the overhead shield or guard. To increase the effectiveness of the shield, wire screening, such as III, may be placed onand welded to the cooperating guard bars. 'I'he supPQrt for the lower and rearward end of the guard assembly is in the nature of a slidable connection to enable the shield to move as a unit with the tilting movement of the tower 4. For this purpose the bowed tubes 6 6 each terminate in a roller wheel II arranged Yto ride in a curved guide track I2 'I'he tracks I2-I2 areV shaped so as to cam the screen or raise it during the forward tilting movement of the tower I so as to insure proper clearance for the truck operator.

We claim:

1. In combination -with an operator driven Atruck having a lifter tower pivoted at its lower end to the front of the truck for fore and aft swinging movement of the tower upper end, of an overhead operator protection guard arranged to follow the fore and aft swinging movement of the tower, means joining the front of the guard to the upper portion of the tower to compel unison -movement of the guard and swinging tower and means movably supporting the rear of the guard onv the truck to accommodate said movement.

2. In combination, a material handling' truck having a tiltable lift tower swingable through a substantially horizontal path at its upper end, an overhead protection guard for the operator. and means normally supporting the guard for horizontal movement relative to` the truck' including` a connection between the tower and guard' arranged for horizontally shifting the guard with the tower tilting movement.

3. An operator driven trucl': having a stationa'ry operator station and a tiltable liit tower.

i an overhead protection guard projecting rearwardlyirom the top of the tower in a substantially horizontal plane above the driver station and means supporting the forward end oi the guard upon the upper portion ot the lift tower and other means supporting the rearward end of the guard at least one oi said supporting means tower adjustably mounted for movement at its i upper end in a direction longitudinallybi the truck, an overhead guard pivotally connected at one end with the upper portion of the tower and means supporting the other end of the guard on the truck for relative movement of said guard end in the longitudinal direction oi the truck with tower movement.

6. In a liit truck having an upright tiltabie tower, an overhead guardpivoted at one end to the upper portion oi the tower and projected rearwardly and downwardly therefrom, and interengaging tracking members on the truck and the rearwardly and downwardly projected end of the guard, respectively. for accommodating movement of the .guard with the tiltable tower.

'7. In a lift truck having an upright tiltable tower, an overhead guard pivoted at one end to the upper portion oi the tower and projected rearwardly and downwardly therefrom, a iixed track carried by the truck and supporting means at the rearward end of the guard arranged to ride on said track. y

8. In a lift truck having a tiltable upright tower ahead oi the operator station, a pair of spaced arcuate rails having pivotal connection at one end with the tower and bridging the operator station, supporting rollers carried at the other end of the rails, roller tracking means on the truck for engagement by said rollers and a protection screen positioned by said rails in overhead relation to the operator station. v'

" ROY BRANovIC.

/GLENN rt maaar.

FRED E. Lan. 

